Ex-Lightning prospect Eero Somervuori had 1 goal and 1 assist in a first star effort to lead HIFK to a 3-2 win over JYP. The game marked a rare loss for goaltender Riku Helenius. Ex-Lightning forward Eric Perrin also had a goal in the game for JYP. They face HPK on Tuesday.

Nikita Nesterov was -1 with a minor penalty as Chelyabinsk Jr. took a humiliating 5-1 loss at the hands of Stupino. The defenseman has been stuck at 30 points for a few games now. He'll have to wait until Tuesday against Khabarovsk Jr. to see if he can snap out of his slump.

It hardly seems possible, but Nikita Kucherov was out of the lineup for CSKA Jr.'s punishing 10-1 win over Novosibirsk Jr. I know some young men from Siberia who regret getting off the team bus today. CSKA Jr. gets Novokuznetsk Jr. on Monday.

Vasily Koshechkin suffered the rare case of losing a game despite posting a shutout in Cherepovets' 1-0 shootout loss to Mytischi. The netminder stopped 4 of 6 chances in the shootout, but could not hold Alexei Kovalev and Dmitri Upper out in the defeat. Koshechkin did finally manage to catch fellow Lightning prospect Riku Helenius in shootouts, posting his 6th of the season, but he's still 13 points behind Helenius in save percentage despite a more than respectable .926 save percentage for the season. Cherepovets faces St. Petersburg on Friday.

In Chelyabinsk, neither Nikita Kucherov nor Nikita Nesterov got the call for the matchup between their KHL sides where the polar bears thumped CSKA 5-3.

On this Valentine's Day, I think we all can find something to love in the continued resurgence of goaltender Riku Helenius, who posted 16 saves en route to JYP's 4-1 win over TPS. Ducks draft pick Sami Vatanen scored 2 goals in the match for JYP. They face Ilves next on Friday.

Nikita Kucherov had a power play goal and a minor penalty in CSKA Jr.'s 4-2 win over Chelyabinsk Jr. Fellow Lightning prospect Nikita Nesterov was -1 and took an unspecified game misconduct at 16:35 of the match. We'll see now if Kucherov returns to CSKA's KHL team and whether Nesterov faces disciplinary action after today's result. CSKA Jr. faces Omsk Jr. next on Thursday while Chelyabinsk Jr. draws KHK MVD Jr. on Thursday, as well.

Today's head-to-head matchup of Lightning prospects comes on the heels of Saturday's MHL All-Star Game where the West defeated the East 4-2. Nikita Nesterov was -2 with a minor for interference for the losing East side. Nikita Kucherov did not suit up for the match, but his teammate Nikita Gusev had a pair of helpers for the victorious Team West.

What we thought was going to be a Bolt Prospect vs. Bolt Prospect throwdown turned into Nikita Kucherov being -1 with a minor penalty in a paltry 1:56 of ice time in Cherepovets' 2-1 win over CSKA. Ex-Lightning camper Niklas Persson had a helper on Igor Ozhiganov's power play goal with 3 seconds remaining in the game to break up Vadim Tarasov's shutout bid. Cherepovets and CSKA are now off until 2-15 for the Euro Hockey Tour break. When they return, Severstal gets Mytischi and CSKA gets Chelyabinsk.

Simon Hjalmarsson scored a power play goal with 8:28 left in the third period to lift Linkopings to a 3-2 win over Lulea. The wingers was a 2nd round pick of the Blues in 2007. Lulea is now off until 2-14 when they'll play Brynas.

Goaltender David Rautio posted his second straight 1-0 shutout win to lead Lulea to victory over Vaxjo Lakers. The netminder only had to turn away 12 shots to complete the feat. Lulea gets Linkopings on Saturday.

Riku Helenius made 34 saves and was named the game's first star in JYP's 2-1 win over SaiPa. Helenius' rise has gradually gone, over the course of the season, from a cute story, to a bit of a phenomenon, to now something that bears serious consideration. No one expected him to keep posting shutouts in 40% of his starts, but he's now consistently winning games and only allowing 1-2 goals in the process. He leads the SM-liiga now in GAA and save percentage and he's still tied for the lead in shutouts. For an organization so starved for goaltending as the Lightning's, they can't afford to ignore #31 for JYP. JYP is now off until Tuesday, February 14, when they'll play TPS. They've now climbed into 4th on the SM-liiga table. The Sweden Hockey Games leg of the Euro Hockey Tour will be played February 9-12.

Vasily Koshechkin spelled starter Vadim Tarasov 8:42 into the second period and allowed 1 goal on 15 shots in Cherepovets' 4-2 loss to Minsk. Ex-Devils first rounder Nicklas Bergfors had a helper in the match for Cherepovets. Cherepovets faces Poprad on Thursday.

Johan Harju scored the shootout winner to lift Lulea to a 1-0 win over HV 71. Remember, shootout winners count as goals in the stat column in Sweden. Lulea draws Vaxjo on Thursday. Lulea has climbed to 2nd place in the Elitserien, just 1 point back of Skelleftea.

Joni Myllkoski got the start today for JYP in their 4-2 win over Espoo. Ex-Lightning forward Eric Perrin had a pair of assists in the victory. JYP now sits at 5th on the league table and faces SaiPa on Tuesday. The top 6 spots in the SM-liiga standings earn a first round bye in the playoffs.

Undrafted veteran Tomas Netik had a pair of goals to lead Slovakia's KHL team, Poprad, to a 3-2 win over CSKA. Ex-Lightning draft pick Vladimir Mihalik was +1 in 18:51 for Poprad. Current Lightning prospect Nikita Kucherov was -1 in 10:44. CSKA draws Riga on Saturday.

Fresh off an MHL hat trick, Lightning prospect Nikita Kucherov was called up to CSKA's big team where he scored his first career KHL goal in CSKA's 6-5 loss to Minsk. Kucherov played 6:00 even in the match. CSKA plays Poprad on Thursday.